Much of the talk before Saturday night's game was about how the Spitfires would replace the offense missing with both Ryan Ellis and Zack Kassian away at Team Canada's selection camp.
Turns out, there wasn't much to worry about.
Eric Locke led another barrage of scoring with four goals, as Windsor (19-11-1-0) out-gunned the Sarnia Sting, 8-5, at the RBC Centre.
Nick Ebert continued his electric play with three assists and Kenny Ryan added two helpers, while Jack Campbell made 31 saves in goal for his 11th win of the season.
Late in the first period, it was Ryan and Locke who ignited the Spitfires.
With the Sting on a power play, Ryan tied the game at 1-1, at the 16:57 mark, with a great individual effort. Then, just 1:21 later, during the same penalty kill, Ryan and Ebert set up Locke, who scored his first of the night to put the Spitfires up a goal after 20 minutes.
But the momentum didn't last long. And neither did the lead.
Sarnia rookie sensation Nail Yakupov got his 21st goal of the season at the 2:35 mark of the second, during a 5-on-3, to tie the game at 2-2. The Sting took the lead two minutes later, as Brandon Alderson beat Campbell with a blast from the right circle.
Saverio Posa was credited with the tying goal at 8:45, even though it looked distinctly like Alexander Khokhlachev tipped home his wrister to make the game 3-3.
From there, the Spits scored three more times in a span of less than four minutes late in the period.
Kyle Tarini intercepted an errant clearing pass in the Sarnia zone and whipped home his second of the season.
After Tyler Peters quickly tied the game at 4-4, Tom Kuhnhackl and Locke each picked up their 17th goals of the season, sending the Spits to the locker room up 6-4 after 40 minutes.
This time, they wouldn't surrender their lead.
Craig Hottot managed to cut the margin back to one, with a shorthanded goal at the 1:29 mark of the third.
But Locke went back to work just 18 seconds later, scoring his third of the night on the power play to make it 7-5. Locke struck again near the seven-minute mark, on an outstanding shorthanded effort to salt it away.
After busting in on the backhand, Locke hit the post behind Sting goalie Brandon Hope, before punching in his own rebound, for his 19th goal of the season.
SHOTS ON GOAL
SARNIA 36, WINDSOR 33
SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
SAR Ritchie, (10) (Peters, Galchenyuk), 8:16
WSR Ryan, (9) , 16:57 (SH)
WSR Locke, (16) (Ebert, Ryan), 18:18 (SH)
SECOND PERIOD
SAR Yakupov, (21) (Galchenyuk, Peters), 2:35 (PP)
SAR Alderson, (8) (Hottot), 5:00
WSR Posa, (1) , 8:45
WSR Tarini, (2) , 14:40
SAR Peters, (13) (Ritchie, Zupancic), 14:54
WSR Kuhnhackl, (17) (Ebert, Khokhlachev), 17:29 (PP)
WSR Locke, (17) (Johnston), 18:25
THIRD PERIOD
SAR Hottot, (7) , 1:29 (SH)
WSR Locke, (18) (Ebert, Johnston), 1:47 (PP)
WSR Locke, (19) , 7:05 (SH)
